et the biggest asset of the game is not the graphic-novel-quality graphics, nor the audio accomplishments that make for fine ear-candy while playing, nor the wonderful improvements to the battle system; instead, the most marked improvement in the game is the rich story it presents. The last installment in the Dragon Quest series, DQ7 on PSone, was relatively thin on story and character, even by PSone-era standards. That made the frequent battles more annoying and made the 200-hour game a labor to slog through. But that’s not the case here; the story set-up may seem relatively basic, but with all the interesting characters, plot twists and memorable moments in the game, it’s like experiencing an entirely different game from DQ7. With DQ8, the series has not only been brought into the modern era of console RPGs, but proves to be the most successful execution of one since Final Fantasy X. Characters in DQ8 have motives for everything, a rich back story and never do anything expected of them (like joining your party) until it makes complete sense for them to do so from a motivational standpoint. It’s a story you’ll want to experience more than once, like a good novel.